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Amazon files fifth Washington layoff notice of 2026 covering 95 workers

Amazon files fifth Washington layoff notice of 2026 covering 95 workers

Money Moves Seattle, WA local

A Nov. 2 filing adds 95 Seattle workers to Amazon's 2026 Washington layoff total, with separations dated December 7.

November 2nd, 2026: Amazon files fifth Washington layoff notice for 95 Seattle workers

Overview

Updated 7 days ago

Amazon filed its fifth Washington layoff notice of 2026 on Nov. 2, covering 95 Seattle employees with a layoff date of Dec. 7. The prior notice, in August, covered 121 workers in Seattle, Bellevue and Sumner, and their separations ran from Oct. 1 through Oct. 27.

The August filing was heavier on technical roles: 37 software development engineers and 15 applied scientists made up about 43% of the 121 jobs. The state summary for the November notice lists the Seattle location, the 95-worker count and the Dec. 7 layoff date.

Why it matters

Each small Amazon WARN filing shrinks Washington's biggest corporate employer, part of a year in which state notices covered 9,746 Amazon workers.

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Key Indicators

95
Employees in latest WARN filing
Seattle employees named in the Nov. 2 notice; layoff date is Dec. 7.
5
WA layoff filings in 2026
The Nov. 2 notice is the fifth; the August filing covered 121.
9,746
Workers named in Amazon WARN notices through October
Across 30 Washington notices from October 2025 to October 2026, per Groundwork Pay; the Nov. 2 filing adds 95.
43%
Share of roles in software or applied science
37 software development engineers plus 15 applied scientists out of 121 in the August filing.
2,198
Largest single 2026 Washington filing
Filed Jan. 30, split between Seattle and Bellevue.
Hundreds
Employees cut in October Stores round
Fewer than 1,000 across the US, India and UK; no Washington notice has been tied to the round.

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People Involved

VA
Vani Appukkutty
Director of SDM Departures at Amazon
Signed the August 2026 WARN filing
GP
Guy Palumbo
Amazon public policy contact
Listed as the contact on the August 2026 WARN filing

Organizations Involved

Amazon
Amazon
Technology company
Has filed five Washington layoff notices in 2026, the latest covering 95 Seattle workers with a Dec. 7 layoff date.

Seattle-based company that is Washington state's largest corporate employer.
Washington Employment Security Department
Washington Employment Security Department
State agency
Publishes WARN layoff notices and administers unemployment benefits

State agency that administers unemployment insurance and maintains the public WARN notice database.

Timeline

October 2025 November 2026

9 events Latest: November 2nd, 2026 · 1 week ago
Tap a bar to jump to that date

  1. Amazon files fifth Washington layoff notice for 95 Seattle workers

    Latest Layoffs

    The state WARN filing lists 95 affected employees in Seattle and a layoff date of Dec. 7. It is Amazon's fifth Washington notice in 2026.

  2. Amazon cuts hundreds of jobs in retail unit

    Layoffs

    Amazon laid off hundreds of employees in its Stores business, which runs the main e-commerce site. Customer service, seller support and retail engineering teams in the US, India and the UK were hit; fewer than 1,000 people were affected, and no Washington WARN notice had been filed as of the announcement.

  3. First separations begin

    Layoffs

    32 employees leave by Oct. 2, 66 by Oct. 20, last on Oct. 27.

  4. Washington state receives the WARN notice

    Layoffs

    ESD posts the filing for 121 employees in Seattle, Bellevue and Sumner.

  5. Amazon dates letter for 121 WA roles

    Layoffs

    Same-day California filing covers 148 roles in San Francisco and Sunnyvale.

  6. Third Round: 57 positions cut by Aug. 3

    Layoffs

    A small filing, separated by early August.

  7. Second January filing covers 2,198 workers

    Layoffs

    The year's largest Washington round, split between Seattle and Bellevue.

  8. First 2026 WARN filing covers 401 workers

    Layoffs

    Amazon files notice with Washington for 401 employees.

  9. Amazon cuts 14,000 corporate roles globally

    Layoffs

    Roughly 4% of corporate workforce; 2,303 roles lost in Washington.

Scenarios

1

Amazon keeps trimming Washington payroll in small rounds

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: GeekWire's coverage and FinalRound AI's analysis of the shrinking filing sizes

The 2026 filings have ranged from 2,198 workers in January to 57 in July, 121 in August and 95 in November. If that holds, Amazon continues filing modest notices through year's end, favoring targeted role-based cuts over one big reduction. The pattern ends when the calendar year closes with or without another filing.

2

Amazon swings back to a large reduction

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: FOX 13 Seattle's report, which notes the wave of cuts across Microsoft, Google, Meta and other Washington employers

A broader tech downturn could push Amazon back to a mass round like the January filing that hit 2,198 workers. This would require a filing covering more than 1,000 employees, signaling the small-trim phase had ended.

3

Amazon halts layoffs and returns to hiring

Unlikely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: Not widely predicted; would require a shift in Amazon's cost posture

Amazon announces a renewed hiring push for Washington corporate roles and stops filing WARN notices. This would mark the end of the year-long reduction cycle and likely coincide with improved revenue growth or a new investment phase.

4

Amazon files a Washington notice for the October Stores cuts

Possible Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: This story's open question after the Oct. 8 retail layoffs

Amazon cut fewer than 1,000 jobs across its Stores business, hitting customer service, seller support and retail engineering in the US, India and UK. A Nov. 2 Washington notice covers 95 Seattle workers, but the available state record summary does not say whether those jobs are from the Stores cuts. If a filing is explicitly tied to that round, this scenario resolves yes.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

November 2022 - March 2023

Amazon's 2022-2023 layoffs (November 2022 - March 2023)

Amazon cut about 27,000 jobs, the largest workforce reduction in its history, after a pandemic-era hiring spree. Chief executive Andy Jassy announced the first 18,000 cuts in January 2023 and later added 9,000 more in March.

Then

Amazon's stock rebounded as investors welcomed cost discipline; affected workers received severance and health benefits.

Now

The cuts reset Amazon's hiring culture and set a precedent for regular role-based reductions tied to business-line performance.

Why this matters now

The current wave repeats that pattern at smaller scale, showing Amazon still treats corporate headcount as a lever it pulls each quarter when growth slows.

January 2001

Amazon's dot-com bust cut (January 2001)

Amazon laid off about 1,300 workers, roughly 15% of its staff, as the tech bubble collapsed. The company closed a Seattle distribution center and cut across its operations.

Then

The company posted its first profitable quarter later that year, proving it could survive the downturn.

Now

The 2001 cut became a template: Amazon used layoffs to reach profitability rather than to exit markets entirely.

Why this matters now

It shows Amazon's willingness to shrink payroll repeatedly during slow periods, then rehire when growth returns, a cycle visible again in the 2025-2026 filings.

Sources

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+4
Washington State Employment Security Department FOX 13 Seattle FinalRound AI GeekWire Business Insider KUOW Lynnwood Times WA Labor Intel Groundwork Pay Layoff Atlas